"It definitely helped that we arrived (in San Luis Potosi, Mexico) a week early to get used to the altitude," said Ahn. "Once the tournament got underway though, the week went by so quickly."

After McHale posted a straight set victory to give the US a 1-0 lead in the championship match against Great Britain, Ahn found herself down 5-3 in the final set of her match against Tara Moore. After failing to win a tie-clinching match against Canada during the qualifying rounds in May, Ahn was determined not to let it happen a second time.

"When we played against Canada in the qualifying this year, I lost in three sets when our team led 1-0 and was so upset afterwards," said Ahn. "I didn't want it to have to go down to the doubles match again."